Oxidation of engine generated particulate matter utilizing exhaust manifold gases

ABSTRACT

An improved system and method for treating exhaust emissions from a combustion engine is provided. The system provides improved arrangements for oxidizing particulate matter away from a particulate filter by utilizing elevated temperature exhaust manifold gases.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to engine exhaust treatment.More particularly, the present invention relates to improvedarrangements for oxidizing particulate matter away from a particulatefilter by utilizing elevated temperature exhaust manifold gases.

DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART

Commercially available active diesel exhaust treatment systems utilize aparticulate filter which is passively, active passively, or active hightemperature thermally regenerated. In those systems, particulate matteris removed by transforming the particulate matter from a solid to a gasin the form of unburned hydrocarbons (UHC), carbon monoxide (CO), andcarbon dioxide (CO2), or other potential, known gases. Oxidizingparticulate matter into the gas phase eliminates the inhalation problempresented to humans, but it increases the amount of environmentallyharmful Green House Gases (GHG) emitted by the vehicle. Oxidizingparticulate matter into the gas phase also reduces the overall thermalefficiency of an engine and/or vehicle.

Diesel fuel is a convenient source of energy for regeneration. Duringactive high temperature filter regeneration, the exhaust gas temperaturecan be increased by combusting an additional quantity of fuel in theexhaust system using specialized hardware and using one of the followingknown methods:

-   -   Late injection combustion—Fuel is injected later in the        expansion stroke of the engine so that the lower effective        compression ratio produces high exhaust temperatures.    -   Flame combustion—Fuel is combusted in a fuel burner, usually        with a dedicated supply of combustion air, with the flame        entering the exhaust system.    -   Catalytic combustion—Fuel is introduced through an exhaust        injector, evaporated and mixed with exhaust gas, and oxidized        over an oxidation catalyst.    -   Combined flame and catalytic combustion—A combination of the        above methods, where a fuel burner is followed by a catalytic        combustion system.        Further details can be found in “Filters Regenerated by Fuel        Combustion” by W. Addy Majewski (Majewski, W. Addy. “Filters        Regenerated by Fuel Combustion.” Diesel Technology Guide—Diesel        Filter Systems. Dieselnet, 2009. Web. 27 May 2010.        http://www.dieselnet.com/tech/dpf_sys_fuel.html). In the above        known methods, the removed particulate is burned. This process        creates CO2, which is subsequently released into the atmosphere.

Catalytic oxidation of the fuel requires exhaust temperature above the“light-oft” or operating temperature, of the oxidation catalyst. Belowthe “light-off” temperature, the fuel would only coat the oxidationcatalyst, and the catalytic oxidation process would not initiate.Engines that operate at low exhaust temperatures for extended periods oftime require special exhaust or intake throttling, burners, or someother machine or method to raise the temperature to the point that theoxidation catalyst begins operation. Only then will oxidation catalystregeneration be initiated. The entire regeneration becomes a lengthy andcostly process.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,992,382 describes using a back flow of filtered exhaustgases to regenerate the filter by routing filtered particulate matter toa burner. The burner in this system utilizes an electric heating elementto oxidize the particulate matter being removed from the engine. Thisarrangement is disadvantageous because it creates high differentialthermal gradients of additional carbon dioxide beyond the particulatematter oxidation. This is due to the engine's alternator acting as aparasitic load requiring a substantial share of electrical energy.

While oxidation of the particulate matter, with electrical energy alone,seems to be a simple solution when coupled with the right controls andsensors, there are many technical challenges in such systems.Controlling the temperature of the heating element to ensure longevityof the sheathing from damage on every cycle is particularly challenging,depending on the flowrates of exhaust gas and particulate levelentrained within the gases. An additional technical challenge associatedwith electrical spiral burner systems includes the substantial thermalcapacity required by the heating elements to maintain the temperaturessufficient to oxidize the particulate matter passing through the burner.

In order to electrically regenerate filters for small Auxiliary PowerUnits (APUs), some commercial systems heat the filter while the APUengine is shutdown. This requires a blower to provide the requiredoxygen, while also requiring a 160 amp alternator, on the separate mainpropulsion engine, to provide the energy require for regenerating thesmall wall flow filter. Other systems take the generator offline fromthe main load requirements to provide the unit's own power forregeneration. Both systems require down or offline time for theregeneration to occur every 10-24 hours, depending on an APU's outputload and emissions output.

The advantage of utilizing a non-thermal active regeneration technologyis that the filter can be regenerated while the APU engine is runningand providing power to the cab. The oxidation of the particulate mattercan be conducted in a similar manner, but with a proportionally smallerportion of the electrical energy. This is because the time allowed forseparate oxidation magnitudes of time equivalent to the entire 10-24hours of operation. The oxidation of the particulate matter must becapable of oxidizing the maximum amount of particulate generated at theengine's end of life in the amount of time between non-thermalregenerations. If the current system required 1.5 kW of power for 30minutes, the equivalent electrical energy required over 10 hours wouldequate to a 70-watt source. The main advantage of reducing theelectrical energy required to a 70-watt source is that it can deliveredby a generator or the engine's own alternator.

Regeneration is not constrained by the upper temperature limit of thefilter substrate. Without this upper level temperature constraint, theparticulate can then be combusted at considerably higher temperaturesand subsequently diluted with additional air, either via passive mixingin the settling tank or flow from additional airflow from the dedicatedpump as it passes back into the exhaust system. In a manner similar to aBunsen burner or portable kerosene heater, the combustion of theparticulate matter can generate airflow of its own. Technical challengesfor such a system include feeding solid combustion particles into thecombustion zone.

The challenge for larger engines is that the large amount of energyconsumed often requires large controllers. Even using large controllers,the energy consumed is still a significant amount of energy. Also, theair pump for operating the exhaust backpressures may require a positivedisplacement pump device. This adds to the complexity, cost, andmaintenance issues associated with the systems, depending on theparticulate filter's backpressure.

With a simple control strategy, electrical energy can be generated incombination with a blower to oxidize the particulate matter. Thenegatives of such a design are the needs for a blower and using aportion of the main engine's electrical output load. Other systemsutilize electrically heated filter elements for regeneration. For APUsthis is the best currently known system because the engine's exhausttemperature can be too low for particulate regeneration or for oxidationcatalyst light-off temperatures. APU engines are typically naturallyaspirated, so their exhaust temperatures would require extensive amountsof electrical energy in order to bring the exhaust gas temperature to ahigh enough condition to achieve passive/active regeneration. As setforth above, this requires the APU's generator to be dedicated to theregeneration strategy.

Because it would wasteful to thermally regenerate the filter after eachshutdown, there is a high likelihood of the regeneration being requiredduring the driver's sleep pattern. The non-thermal regenerationtechnology is independent of the engine/generator operation, and thusthe oxidation can be a fraction of the current regeneration time and/orthe naturally aspirated order to reduce the electrical required foroxidation of the particulate matter within the residence required, alongwith the high flow rates requiring high thermal capacity. The oxidationrate of the particulate matter may therefore be accomplished in betweenthe regenerations, and at all times the engine is operating. While somesystems utilize electrical energy to oxidize the particulate matter,most systems use fuel to provide the regeneration high temperatures.

In order to reduce the particulate exiting the tailpipe, the currentcommercial state of the art engine technology has typically included aDiesel Particulate Filter (DPF) to trap the particles in the engine'sexhaust before they are released into the atmosphere. While particulatefilters have been commercially available for decades, the technology forremoving the built up particulate matter has had varying degrees ofsuccess. This, along with fuel efficiency reductions caused by thefilter restriction, has required government regulations to be passed inorder to improve the technology's commercial availability.

The current solutions are overly complicated, require some method ofactive regeneration, or require a high exhaust temperature operatingcycle. The active regeneration technologies utilize additional fuel usefor increasing exhaust temperature, which does not provide useableoutput work. The use of fuel without subsequent output work does notcomply with the current global concern for GHG, carbon dioxide, or enduser concerns over high fuel prices (e.g., operating costs). In additionto fuel, the current systems require sophisticated controls algorithms,sensors, burners, or dosing systems, and scarce, costly rare-earthelements.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention is directed to improved arrangements in whichparticulate matter is oxidized away from the particulate filterutilizing waste high temperature gases that are produced at higherengine loads. Oxidizing particulate matter away from the particulatefilter removes the potential for damage caused by high thermal gradientsand subsequent thermal stress. Using high temperature waste thermalenergy by focusing the energy and excess oxygen mass flow on the fewgrams of particulate matter simplifies the oxidation and transition tothe gas state.

While manifold gases can reach temperatures capable of oxidizing theunburned hydrocarbons and even the elemental carbon directly withoxygen, the use of a catalyst such as platinum or palladium may increaseefficiency by lowering the temperature of oxidation with the use of NO₂as the oxidant. For thermal challenged (e.g., low temperatureapplications) engines, an electric heater or oxidation of fuel across acatalyst or burner may be used to help manifold gases reach a sufficienttemperature.

The system is preferably advantageously utilized while under high loadin order to improve thermal efficiency. Even still, the particulatematter may be regenerated at start up so as to increase the preheatprocess or provide enhanced heating of the SCR catalyst. Additionally,in at least one embodiment, urea may be injected into the system inorder to provide earlier conversion to ammonia during a cold startoperation.

Advantages of Present Invention

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there isprovided a stored particulate matter oxidation system which preferablyprovides one or more of the following advantages, all of which areprovided by example alone: 1) Improves overall thermal efficiency byutilizing waste high temperature exhaust manifold gases for theoxidation of filtered particulate matter waste; 2) Passive system doesnot require an ECM or control system, thus reducing system cost andcomplexity; 3) Reduces electrical or fuel energy required to oxidize theparticulate matter by passive NO₂ and high temperature manifold gasassisted electrical heating; 4) Increases thermal energy to the exhaustturbine; 5) Reduces or eliminates requirement for close coupling theaftertreatment to the engine for passive particulate matter oxidation;6) Reduces in frequency or eliminates thermal regeneration of theparticulate filter, thus improving safety and substrate durability ofthe DPF, DPF/SCR combination and the SCR/LNT catalyst; 7) Reduces fuelconsumption; 8) Provides potential for commercial availability of highengine particulate matter designs; 9) Uses less expensive system thancan be used in the thermally regenerated systems which requiresophisticated hardware and control systems; 10) Eliminates need foroxidizing the particulate on the main engine particulate filter which,by using high temperature and subsequent thermal gradients, can damagethe filter, the intumescent wrap, and any downstream aftertreatment; 11)Reduces and possibly eliminates downtime required for forced activeregeneration and ash maintenance; 12) Reduces or eliminates the need fora communication link and control system interaction between the dieselparticulate filter and the engine necessitated in thermally regeneratedsystems; and 13) Heat release from particulate oxidation is utilized forgenerating additional heat for aftertreatment light off and subsequentemissions reduction effectiveness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate the best known mode of carrying out the presentinvention, including several embodiments of a particulate trapregeneration system incorporating the above advantages and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration prior art system for operating alean burn diesel engine utilizing a passive and active thermal DieselParticulate Filter (DPF) regeneration along with a Selective CatalyticReduction (SCR) or Lean NOx Trap (LNT) for reducing the engine's NOxemissions;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a first embodiment of a passiveor passive/electrically active particulate matter oxidation systemaccording to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of an external particulate matteroxidation system that traps particulate matter in a filter and oxidizesthe particulate matter by flowing exhaust manifold gases out of theexhaust manifold and into a settling tank;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a second embodiment of anexternal particulate matter oxidation system similar to the systemillustrated in FIG. 3, and further including a valve for controllingflow out of the exhaust manifold into the settling tank;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of an additional embodimentsimilar to the systems illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, and furtherincluding the oxidation system attached to the engine's exhaust pipe;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of a system similar to theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, and further including a second filterfor trapping ash;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of a system similar to the systemsillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6, and further including a valve tofacilitate oxidization of the particulate matter in the first and secondfilter for trapping particulate matter and ash; and

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of another system similar to thesystem illustrated in FIG. 4, wherein the system is constructed tofunction with vacuum, pressure, or any combination of the tworegeneration methods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art system for oxidizing particulate matterproduced by a combustion engine. In the system illustrated in FIG. 1, aSelective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) or Lean NOx Trap (LNT) (either ofwhich is referenced as numeral 32) is placed downstream of a dieselparticulate filter (DPF) 28 for reducing the Nitrous Oxide (NOx) andParticulate Matter (PM) from a diesel engine 20 having an exhaustmanifold 23 associated therewith.

In this known system, particulate matter is oxidized in the substrate(not illustrated) of DPF 28. Advanced, known injection timing producesNOx emissions with considerable NO, and after coming in contact with theexpensive rare earth elements in Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) 24, isconverted into NO2. Engine 20, DOC 24, PF 28, and SCR or LNT 32 are influid communication via an exhaust pipe 22 which exits from engine 20and carries with it exhaust therefrom. A turbo 80 to provide a boost inoutput may also be included in the system illustrated in FIG. 1.

Because NO2 is less stable than NO and the temperature is above ˜250°Celsius, the NO2 will react with any stored soot in DPF 28, thusoxidizing particulate matter into CO2. If the operating temperature isbelow ˜250° Celsius, the particulate matter remains stored in DPF 28 andmust be cleaned by many different thermal methods which could include,for example, late injection of fuel into the cylinder of engine 20 toincrease the exhaust temperature above the ˜250° Celsius oxidation pointcondition for NO2 and over 500° Celsius for 02 oxidation. The timerequired for a complete regeneration may not ever be available, thusinitiating warning lights and intervention by the operator.

As shown and illustrated in FIG. 1, urea 40 may be injected into exhaustemissions of the combustion engine via a urea injector 42 included inprior art systems upstream and/or downstream from DPF 28. FIG. 1illustrates a urea injector 42 in locations both upstream and downstreamfrom DPF 28.

FIG. 1 further illustrates various other known components longassociated with engines such as engine 20 including: intake throttlevalve 50 used during shutdown to keep engine 20 from shaking andthrottling (e.g., reducing) air flow to the engine, exhaust gasrecirculation (EGR) cooler 54 for reducing the Nitrogen Oxide (NOx)which causes acid rain and smog, clean up oxidation catalyst 60 whichused if urea or Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is not used in reductantchemical reactions and allowed to exit the tailpipe, and an Exhaust GasRecirculation (EGR) Valve as commonly known and understood in the art.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a system for oxidizingparticulate matter according to the teachings of the present invention.In a first embodiment, the system uses a porous volume, or particulatematter oxidation system (PMOS) 69 located within exhaust manifold 23.The volume can be either be a solid porous volume or have a porous outershell. Non-thermal regeneration pressures from engine 20 may overcomevalve 75, which could be a simple check valve to enter PMOS 69 withinexhaust manifold 23. When this takes place, particulate matter exhaustgases and other components of exhaust enter the volume within exhaustmanifold 23.

Exhaust manifold 23 preferably includes pressurized gases pulsating intothe volume during blow down of the cylinders of engine 20, wherein thegases may be provided in a plurality of manners known in the art. Inaddition to the blow down of combustion gases, transient engineoperation creates pressure in exhaust manifold 23, and increases anddecreases the differential pressure and subsequent flow in and out ofthe porous volume. The flow of high temperature exhaust manifold gaspreferably passively oxidizes the particulate matter within PMOS 69.

In some embodiments, the walls of PMOS 69 or its whole volume may becoated with an oxidation catalyst such as platinum to reduce the passiveregeneration time. Other foreseeable catalysts known in the art besidesplatinum such as vanadium may also be used in certain embodiments. Whenvanadium is used, the catalyst is sulfur tolerant, and Platinumpreferably generates NO₂ from the NO available in the exhaust manifoldgases.

Gases may subsequently reenter the exhaust stream before travelingthrough an SCR/DPF 30. Flow from exhaust pipe 22 to SCR/DPF 30 may beregulated by a valve 34, while flow from SCR/DPF 30 to an output may beregulated by a valve 36. Passing the manifold gases through the SCR/DPF30 allows the NOx to be converted along with the rest of the exhauststream.

Settling tank 39 including a valve associate therewith is preferably influid connection with exhaust pipe 22. Settling tank 39 is of the typeknown or foreseeable in the art for separating impurities from thevarious gases of the system.

In at least one alternative embodiment, urea could be directly injectedinto PMOS 69 or exhaust manifold 23. Such an embodiment allows for earlyurea injection, thus providing for low temperature operations andreducing corrosiveness of downstream components such as turbo 80.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment in which exhaust manifold 23 andsettling tank 39 are connected via PMOS 69. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 3, PMOS 69 traps particulate matter in a filter 70and oxidizes the particulate matter by flowing exhaust manifold gasesout of exhaust manifold 23 and into settling tank 39. Exhaust manifoldgases are preferably released via exhaust manifold 23. This may be animportant process during passive regeneration when the amount NOxentering and coming into contact with oxidation catalyst coated wiremesh or equivalent filter 70 will need to be varied.

A heating element such as heating element 78 may be used to help providethermal energy to the particulate in order to convert the particulatematter from a solid and liquid phase to that of gas capable of passingthrough the particulate filter and SCR/DPF 30. It should be noted thatthe SCR/DPF 30 substrate could be a simple particulate filter catalyzedwith an oxidation catalyst, selective catalytic reduction catalyst, or asimple uncatalyzed bare filter. Other foreseeable alternativesubstitutes are also contemplated herein.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a second embodiment of anexternal particulate matter oxidation system similar to the systemillustrated in FIG. 3, and further including a valve 79 that can eitherbe a two position on/off valve or proportional for controlling flow outof exhaust manifold 23 into settling tank 39. Closing control valve 79during peak accelerating conditions preferably increases or maximizesthe exhaust and intake pressures (boost pressure), and subsequently thepower output of engine 20.

FIG. 4 also includes an electronically controlled engine fitted with anElectronic Control Module (ECM) 90. ECM 90 may control valve 79 andvariable geometry turbo 80 to further assist in controlling the flow ofexhaust manifold gases into PMOS 69 while sensing and controlling thecorrect amount of exhaust flow through PMOS 69 to match the supplementalheating element 78 capabilities. During low load conditions wherepassive regeneration would not occur, thermal energy generated by heatelement 78 assists in the direct oxidation of the particulate matter. Inthis manner, oxidation of the particulate matter can be achieved evenwith the engine at idle conditions.

Exhaust manifold gases may leave exhaust manifold 23 when valve 79 isopen. When valve 79 is shut, the volume is pressurized by exhaustmanifold 23. Flow similar to that of FIG. 2 provides pressurized exhaustgases flow in and out during transient operation. This transient flowallows passive regeneration even when flow to the settling tank 39 isunavailable due to engine performance requirements.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of an additional embodimentsimilar to FIGS. 3 and 4, but wherein PMOS 69 is attached to EGR piping52 instead of attaching to exhaust manifold 23 of the oxidation system.Such a configuration allows the flexibility of the system to beretrofitted to older, legacy vehicles because the exhaust manifold wouldnot have to be removed to fit the system to the vehicle. Also, servicingthe piping is preferably improved.

FIG. 6 illustrates a system similar to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. However,instead of the gases flowing through entire distance to the SCR/DPFcombination 30 via the settling tank 39 and through valve 38, gases canbe redirected into the exhaust stream near turbo 80. A first, highporosity filter 74 provided between heating element 78 and exhaust pipe22 designed to trap and assist in oxidizing the particulate mattereither with or without an oxidation catalyst and subsequent NO2generation.

A second filter 76 for trapping ash and preventing it from reenteringthe main engine filter is placed downstream from filter 74 and ispreferably a lower pore size filter with mean pore size levels smallerthan or close to SCR/DPF combination 30. After oxidizing the particulatein filter 74, ash may pass through filter 74 before being captured infilter 76. The volume between filters 74, 76 is preferably large enoughto hold the expected ash that can be accumulated for the life of theaftertreatment system. Alternatively, there could be any manner ofvolume between filters 74, 76 to create a volume and prevent filter 76from plugging with ash. Filter 76 being in the vertical position withthe ash volume directly below and out of the flow path is just onenon-limiting example of a solution. While the system illustratesutilizes two filters for holding, oxidizing, and storing ash, in someembodiments, only one such filter is used.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of a system similar to the systemsillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6 but further including valve 79 to allow thepressurization of the particulate regeneration system utilizing a firsthigh porosity filter 74 to oxidize the particulate matter in PMOS 69 andsecond filter 76 for trapping the ash from returning to the main enginefilter. Valve 79 can replace or be used in addition to valve 72, thelatter of which is illustrated in FIG. 7. Valve 79 operatessubstantially similarly to valve 79 in FIGS. 4 and 5 in that the closingof valve 79 would allow pressurization of the Particulate MatterRegeneration System (PRMS). In addition to the pressurization, back aforth flow from engine transient operation is preferably achieved.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of another embodiment of thepresent system similar to FIG. 4, but instead of pressurized non-thermalactive regeneration system, the system can function with vacuum,pressure, or any combination of the two regeneration methods.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the various embodiments of thepresent invention are well adapted to attain all the objectives andadvantages hereinabove set forth together with still other advantageswhich are obvious and which are inherent to the present structures. Itwill be understood that certain features and sub-combinations of thepresent embodiments are of utility and may be employed without referenceto other features and sub-combinations. Since many possible embodimentsof the present invention may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention, it is also to be understood that alldisclosures herein set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawingsare to be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. The variousconstructions described above and illustrated in the drawings arepresented by way of example only and are not intended to limit theconcepts, principles and scope of the present invention.

Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novelsystem for oxidizing particulate matter using exhaust manifold gases. Asis evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of thepresent invention are not limited by the particular details of theexamples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that othermodifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur tothose skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similarterms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of“optional” or “may include” and not as “required”.

Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applicationsof the present constructions will, however, become apparent to thoseskilled in the art after considering the specification and theaccompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations andother uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit andscope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention whichis limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for oxidizing particulate matter of anengine, the system comprising: a particulate matter oxidation system foroxidizing particulate matter output from the engine; an exhaust manifoldin fluid communication with the particulate matter oxidation system,wherein exhaust gases from the exhaust manifold are used to oxidizeparticulate matter produced by the engine; a settling tank in fluidcommunication with the exhaust manifold and the particulate matteroxidation system; a particulate filter downstream from the particulatematter oxidation system for filtering particulate matter from at leastone of the engine and the particulate matter oxidation system.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the particulate matter oxidation system is avolume of the exhaust manifold.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein thesystem includes a heating element for providing thermal energy to theparticulate matter to convert the particulate matter from at least oneof a solid and liquid phase to a gas phase gas capable of passingthrough the particulate filter.
 4. The system of claim 1, whereinparticulate matter is transported from the particulate filter to theparticulate matter oxidation system via a non-thermal regenerationsystem.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes a valvefor controlling flow out of the exhaust manifold into the settling tank.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes an oxidationcatalyst coated to the particulate matter oxidation system.
 7. Thesystem of claim 3, wherein the system further includes a high porosityfilter between the heating element and an exhaust pipe of the engine totrap and assist in oxidizing the particulate matter.
 8. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the system further includes a second filter downstreamfrom the high porosity filter for trapping ash and preventing the ashfrom reentering a main engine filter of the engine.
 9. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the system further includes a valve for controllingflow of high temperature manifold gases for oxidizing the particulatematter.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further includesan electric control module to control the flow of manifold gases intothe particulate matter oxidation system.
 11. A method for oxidizingparticulate matter of an engine, the method comprising the steps of:introducing particulate matter into a particulate matter oxidationsystem for oxidizing particulate matter output from the engine; ventingexhaust gases from an exhaust manifold in fluid communication with theparticulate matter oxidation system into the particulate matteroxidation system to oxidize particulate matter produced by the engine;and filtering particulate matter from at least one of the engine and theparticulate matter oxidation system via a particulate filter downstreamfrom the particulate matter oxidation system.
 12. The method of claim11, wherein the particulate matter oxidation system is a volume of theexhaust manifold.
 13. The method of claim 11, further including the stepof providing thermal energy to the particulate matter via a heatingelement to convert the particulate matter from at least one of a solidand liquid phase to a gas phase gas capable of passing through theparticulate filter.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein particulatematter is transported from the particulate filter to the particulatematter oxidation system via a non-thermal regeneration system.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, further including the step of controlling flow outof the exhaust manifold into a settling tank via a valve.
 16. The methodof claim 11, wherein the particulate matter oxidation system includes anoxidation catalyst coated thereto.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein ahigh porosity filter is provided between the heating element and anexhaust pipe of the engine to trap and assist in oxidizing theparticulate matter.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein a second filteris provided downstream from the high porosity filter for trapping ashand preventing the ash from reentering a main engine filter of theengine.
 19. The method of claim 11, further including the step ofcontrolling flow of high temperature manifold gases via a valve foroxidizing the particulate matter.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein anelectric control module is provided to control the flow of manifoldgases into the particulate matter oxidation system.